Simulated baseball game

ABSTRACT

This invention is directed to a baseball game played on a game board constructed to provide, in addition to the usual field area, a pitching and a batting area each having its own independently operable pitching or batting device. A relatively wide three-part catching receptacle is formed in the batting area and a relatively wide pitching guide channel of trough-like cross-section extends between the pitching area and the catching receptacle so that a ball impelled from the pitching area toward the catching receptacle may be caused to follow a curvilinear path toward the batting area before being &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;hit&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; or before its reception into the batting receptacle.

United States Patent Parlato 1451 Dec. 19, 1972 [5 1 SIMULATED BASEBALLGAME 889,066 5/1908 Thomas ..273/89 [72] inventor: Joseph Parlato, 527Bay Ridge I Parkway, Brooklyn, NX. Primary Exammer-R1chard C. P1nkhamAssistant ExaminerPaul E. Shap1r0 Filedi March 1971 Atlorney-Thomas E.Tate [21] Appl. No.: 127,719

[57] ABSTRACT 52] us. 01 ..273/s9, 273/129 This is directed baseballgame Played 51 Int. Cl. ..A63f 7/14 a game boardlwnmuctcd Provide [58]Field of Search ..273/s9 the usual field are, Pitching and buttinghaving its own independently operable pitching or [56] References Citedbatting device. A relatively widc three-part catching receptacle isformed in the batting area and a relative- UNITED STATES PATENTS 1y widepitching guide channel of trough-like cross- 1,586,315 5/1926 Luckenbill273/89 section extends between the pitching area and the 1,422,3837/1922 Schumacher et 31.. ......273/s9 catching receptacle so h a ballfrom the 3,576,325 4/1971 Naturale ..273/89 Pitching area toward theCatching receptacle may be 3,227,452 1/19 Murphy 273/39 caused to followa curvilinear path toward the batting 1,994,685 3/1935 Callejas 273/89area before being hit" or before its reception into the 1,682,170 8/1928Ekelund 273/89 batting receptacle, 1,060,846 5/l9l3 Krumeich.... "273/893 67,951 8/1867 Buckley ..273/89 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SIMULATEDBASEBALL GAME This invention relates to baseball game board apparatusand device improvements to simulate most of the interesting variationsin pitching a ball manually to a batter.

An object of this invention is to provide improved devices and surfacesto stimulate the competitive incentive as in an actual baseball gamewhereby the skill of a pitcher-player is tested in controlling thevarious speeds and curves in pitching a ball to roll down and over alimited batting zone.

This invention also includes certain other novel features which are morefully detailed in the following specifications, claims and accompanyingdrawings which illustrate a preferred embodimentof this invention;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the simulated baseball game board.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view taken on a line 2-2 of FIG. 1showing a bisection of the pitching surface and partof the battingapparatus. 7

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view taken on a line 3-3 of FIG. 1showing the projection device and a bisection of the pitching guidechannel, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the pitching guide channel takenon a line 4-4 of'FIG. 1.

This improved baseball game board apparatus embodies a substantiallysquare panel 5 on which suitable lines, markings and recepticles areplaced to simulate a baseball field. Projecting above and enclosing thepanel 5 on all four sides are beveled walls 6. Y

The projection element consists of a pitching handle 7 fixed on one endof the projection element shank 8 and a vertical bend at the other endto form a pitching arm 10 from which end a horizontal bend is formedforwardly and on a.line with said pitching shank 8 to become thepitching end 11 which is encased with a rubber or simular pitching tip12. The projection element is supported by a fulcrum element 36 suitablyattached to the underside of the panel 5 on a line between the pitchingopening 9 and the pitching guide channel 13 as shown in FIG. 3. Anelongated pitching surface 15 centered lengthwise from the pitchingguide channel 13 downwardly to the catcher recepticles is bordered onthe two long sides with an upward sloped ridge l6 and a curvatureabutting the pitching guide channel 13 which is indented with a ballrecess 35. At the catcher recepticles 20 end of the pitching surface 15is an elevated plane batting zone 17 formed by a concave on each sideand centered between the two batting tubes 27 as shown in FIG. 1 andbisection of FIG. 2.

The manually operated batting apparatus as shown in part in FIG. 2consists of a batter 18 insertable into either of the batting tubes 27,a batting handle 22 fixed on one end to the batting rod 23 which isinserted, through the batting opening 24 centered in the lower sectionof the wall 6 nearest to the catcher recepticles 20 and extending intothe batting apparatus enclosure under the panel 5 where the center of aflexible wire or string 26 is fastened to the batting rod slot 25 fromwhich one end of the string 26 is extended and coiled counterclockwisearound the right batting tube 27 and linked to the tension spring 29 andthe other end of said tension spring 29 is attached to the rightenclosure bolt 30. The other end of the string 26 from the batting rod7019 not;

slot 25 is extended and coiled clockwise around the left batting tube 27and linked to the tension spring 29 and the other end of said tensionspring 29 is attached to the left enclosure bolt 30. i

Shallow field recepticles 31 having markings within are provided overmost of the playing area on the panel 5. Also provided are catcherrecepticles 20, divisional foul line elements 32, base peg holes 33wherein base pegs 34 can be inserted, a batting element 18 and suitableballs 14. In playing the simulated baseball game, the projection elementpitching tip 12 is inserted through the outfield wall opening 9 andextended under the panel 5 to the pitching guide channel 13 where the.

pitching arm 10 and tip 11 are inserted up, through and above thepitching guide channel 13. The pitching shank 8 is then inserted intothe fulcrum element 36.'A ball is placed in the ball recess 35 of theupper pitching surface 15 and the pitcher-player manipulates thepitching handle 7 exteriorly of the outfield wall 6 to oscillate thepitching arm l0v and tip 12 within the pitching guide channel 13 up,down and or from side to side and push the handle 7 inwardly to .causethe pitching tip 12 to strike any of the facing parts of the ball 14 toroll down the pitching surface 15 as a fast or slow incurve or outcurveor fast or'slow straight ball to and over the batting zone surface 17 asactuated by the pitching skill and control of the pitcher-player.

The batter-player can bat from the left or right side of the battingzone 17 by inserting the batter 18 into the batting tube 27 and engagingthe protruding side tips of the batter 18 within the batting tube slot28 with the bat 19 in a full swing position as shown with solid lines inFIG. 2. The batter-player then pulls outwardly with the handle 22 toactuate the batter 18 and bat 19 to a batting position as shown bybroken lines in FIG. 2. The batter-player can then oscillate the bat 19on a horizontal are back and forth over the batting zone 17 to time apitched ball 14 for a swing or .bunt as a batterwould in an actualbaseball game. 7

With the novel pitching surface 15, a pitched'ball 14 can be moreeffectively batted only when rolling over the batting zone 17 beforeentering the catcher recepticles 20, therefore, a ball 14 rollingby oneither sideof the batting zone 17 would roll under the full ,swing of abat 19 for a strike and when not swung at a ball, whereas a ball 14rolling over the batting zone 17 and into the strike catcher recepticle20 whether swung at or not is called a strike, consequently, thepitching and batting skills of the players will become apparent in thecourse of the game. As in the actual baseball game, a batted ball canbecome a hit, out, error etc. and subject to contingencies in most areasof the playing field, therefore, to simulate most of those possibleplays on a game board, field recepticles 31 having suitable lines andmarkings are provided on the panel 5 to indicate the scoring of a battedball 14. Also provided are beveled walls 6 on all four sides of thepanel 5 which would normally prevent a batted ball 14 from going overbut allow a hard hit ball 14 to go over the said beveled wall 6 for ahome run when occuring over fair territory between the foul linedividers 32.

I claim;

I. In a baseball game apparatus; a ball; a game board provided with apitching area and, a batting area spaced from said pitching area; a ballpitching device located I060ll 0019 3 at said pitching area; a battingdevice located at said batting area .and including a generallyhorizontal bat mounted for pivotal movement about a generally verticalaxis; said ball pitching and batting devices being separately operable;a depressed catching receptacle formed in said game board at saidbatting area; and an elongated depressed pitching guide channel formedin said game board and extending between said pitching and battingareas, said guide channel being of generally trough-like cross-sectionalconfiguration with slanted sidewalls and having a mean widthsubstantially greater than that of the diameter of said ball; thepitching end of said guide channel being provided with a ball supportlocated at an elevation above the bottom thereof and the batting end ofsaid guide. channel being provided at said catching receptacle with acentrally disposed axial ramp extending upwardly from the bottom thereofto an elevated plane and with a pair of complementary spaced parallelconcave grooves disposed to either side of said ramp, the plane ofrotation of said bat being sufficiently high above said concave groovesto cause said bat to pass freely over a ball passing along eitherthereof while being sufficiently low to permit said bat to contact aball rolling up said ramp onto said elevated plane.

2. The baseball game apparatus of claim 1 in which said catchingreceptacle is divided into three sections, one of which is axiallyaligned with said ramp for reception of the ball rolling thereoverwhereby to visually demonstrate a strike in the event that the said bathad not contacted said ball, and the other two of which are axiallyaligned with said concave grooves whereby to visually demonstrate a ballwhether or not the said bat had been actuated.

- 3. The baseball game apparatus of claim 2 in which said pitchingdevice includes means capable of directing the travel of said balleither along the longitudinal axis of said pitching guide channel ontosaid ramp for an attempted strike or hit by said separately operatedbatting device or of directing the travel of said ball to eithersidewall portion of said pitching guide 'channel during the advance ofsaid balltoward said catching receptacle whereby to render in doubtwhich of said ramp or said concave grooves will receive said

1. In a baseball game apparatus; a ball; a game board provided with apitching area and a batting area spaced from said pitching area; a ballpitching device located at said pitching area; a batting device locatedat said batting area and including a generally horizontal bat mountedfor pivotal movement about a generally vertical axis; said ball pitchingand batting devices being separately operable; a depressed catchingreceptacle formed in said game board at said batting area; and anelongated depressed pitching guide channel formed in said game board andextending between said pitching and batting areas, said guide channelbeing of generally trough-like cross-sectional configuration withslanted side walls and having a mean width substantially greater thanthat of the diameter of said ball, the pitching end of said guidechannel being provided with a ball support located at an elevation abovethe bottom thereof and the batting end of said guide channel beingprovided at said catching receptacle with a centrally disposed axialramp extending upwardly from the bottom thereof to an elevated plane andwith a pair of complementary spaced parallel concave grooves disposed toeither side of said ramp, the plane of rotation of said bat beingsufficiently high above said concave grooves to cause said bat to passfreely over a ball passing along either thereof while being sufficientlylow to permit said bat to contact a ball rolling up said ramp onto saidelevated plane.
 2. The baseball game apparatus of claim 1 in which saidcatching receptacle is divided into three sections, one of which isaxially aligned with said ramp for reception of the ball rollingthereover whereby to visually demonstrate a ''''strike'''' in the eventthat the said bat had not contacted said ball, and the other two ofwhich are axially aligned with said concave grooves whereby to visuallydemonstrate a ''''ball'''' whether or not the said bat had beenactuated.
 3. The baseball game apparatus of claim 2 in which saidpitching device includes means capable of directing the travel of saidball either along the longitudinal axis of said pitching guide channelonto said ramp for an attempted ''''strike'''' or ''''hit'''' by saidseparately operated batting device or of directing the travel of saidball to either side wall portion of said pitching guide channel duringthe advance of said ball toward said catching receptacle whereby torender in doubt which of said ramp or said concave grooves will receivesaid ball.